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Top Five Denzel Washington Performances
What is being said next is a mere matter of fact- Denzel Washington is one of the best actors living today. The man has been nominated for six Academy Awards, has won two, and is a threat to become a member of the elusive triple Oscar club. He has eight Golden Globe nominations, not including the Cecil B. DeMille Award for Lifetime Achievment. He has starred in comedies, action blockbusters, independent dramas, and powerful biopics. He has sat three times in the director's chair with success. It seems only appropriate then to recognize some of the greatest achievments that Washington has given viewers onscreen. No. 5: "Alonzo Harris" (Training Day, 2001) - Dir. by Antoine Fuqua In the first time Denzel Washington was directed by now frequent collaborator Antoine Fuqua, Washington loudly and passionately plays the corrupt narcotics officer Alonzo Harris. Infusing the morally complex cop with an unrivalled passion and confidence, Washington absolutely demolishes any and everything in his way. For his bolstering and towering performance, Washington won his second Academy Award against stiff competition Russell Crowe in A Beautiful Mind. Best Scene: "Tell me a story." No. 4: "Pvt. Trip" (Glory, 1989) - Dir. by Edward Zwick As a black soldier in the Union Army, Washington delivers one of the first performances that shows everybody exactly the scale and magnitude of an actor he is. Silently stoic and strong in some moments, while loudly planting his legacy in others, Pvt. Trip's a character that Washington completely embodies as he holds his own and above industry veterans like Morgan Freeman and Cary Elwes. Washington received his first Academy Award for his complex soldier, beating Danny Aiello for Do The Right Thing and industry veterans like Dan Akkroyd and the great Marlon Brando. Best Scene: "I ain't the prayin' type." No. 3: "Rubin "The Hurricane" Carter" (The Hurricane, 1999) - Dir. by Norman Jewison No other actor can so completely and totally envelop themselves in a real-life figure quite like Denzel Washington, and this is the proof of that. Denzel manages to take the juggling act that the script gives him and elevates it perfectly. He balances the insightful and wise older Rubin Carter with the ferocity of the Hurricane between each in scene perfectly. His eyes display both rage and regret, passion and complacency, determination and surrender. Denzel scored his fourth Academy Award nomination, as well as his second Golden Globe award and first Screen Actors Guild nomination. Best Scene: "You can't break me 'cause you didn't make me!" No. 2: "Troy Maxson" (Fences, 2016) - Dir. by Denzel Washington Adapting August Wilson's most famous play for the screen himself, Denzel Washington gives one of the performances of the decade as the masculine and flawed father Troy Maxson. Proudly, viciously, and at times arrogantly pounding his chest, Washington demands the utmost attention from any and every viewer. In his most tender moments, Washington gives viewers the smallest glimpse of a troubled man before expertly burying it under unbridled rage and ferocity. Washington has received his third Screen Actors Guild nomination, eighth competitive Golden Globe nomination, a Tony Award for his stage performance, and is a strong contender for his seventh Academy Award nomination, with the potential to join the Triple Oscar club. Best Scene: "Just you and me! Man to man!" Honorable Mentions *"Steve Biko" (Cry Freedom, 1987) - Dir. by Richard Attenborough *"William "Whip" Whittaker" (Flight, 2012) - Dir. by Robert Zemeckis *"Herman Boone" (Remember the Titans, 2000) - Dir. by Boaz Yakin *"Joe Miller" (Philadelphia, 1993) - Dir. by Johnathan Demme *"Melvin Tolson" (The Great Debaters, 2007) - Dir. by Denzel Washington No. 1: "Malcolm X" (Malcolm X, 1992)- Dir. by Spike Lee One shouldn't be surprised- Denzel Washington's passionate, sublime, and perfect creation of the enigmatic and controversial Malcolm X is not only the career triumph of his career, but one of the single greatest performances of all time. There's little I can say that hasn't been better said by others- he buries himself in Malcolm, creating this unique character from the ground up. Full of righteous anger, complete confidence, and unrestricted ability, Denzel Washington gives the greatest performance of the 1990's in this Spike Lee biopic. Washington was nominated for his third Academy Award and his third competitive Golden Globe nomination Category:Top Five